It's what's on the outside that counts.

Oh wait. I guess it's what's on the inside, isn't it? Well. Who cares.
We've had a lot of changes to the outside of our house, and I thought I'd share the recent improvements!
Okay, first the before:

This was back in December 2010-- when we first moved in.  If you remember, Arizona had just had like, the ultimate hail storm in AZ history, and it caused a LOT of damage-- like to our window-- which is why our master bedroom window was boarded up.  But don't focus on that-- 

Focus on THESE.  These bushes that are like, two large hippopotamuses sitting outside my door.  I always wanted them to be trimmed down (because they're like, consuming our house) and so they'd always look like this: dead. And they were full of yellow jackets in the summer time.  And I was worried that someone could have been like, hiding behind them. (I'm reviewing my list of reasons why I hated these bushes. Because I really, really did.)

SO! The day that we were putting up Christmas lights, I was like, THAT'S IT! I'm cutting them down! I went to the kitchen and got a little steak knife.  Yeah, I know-- what a joke.  Those bushes have been there for TEN YEARS. There's no way I could have done it.  I don't think I even scratched the surface-- and I even went back and grabbed a bread knife, too. So my father in law (+ tools) offered to help in our cause. Excellent.  

Probably like, three hours later I had the bushes out (along with those monster roots-- this was a serious job... I'm not kidding..) (by that I mean for Freddy and his step dad.  I pretty much supervised, took the smaller branches to the dumpster, and swept up the sidewalk.  It was a dirty job.), the dumpsters full, and a super tired husband. And like, 24 hours later I also had our homeowners association calling us.  Hm. You didn't want us to take them out? Ohhhh!

So now they've re-planted some nice, little, new bushes in front, which I've already trimmed once because I don't want them thinking they can grow out of control like the previous ones.  But they're about a million percent better than the old ones.  Now we see our HOME. Instead of like, hoBUSHESme. You know?

And they also painted the outside of our buildings, too.  How nice.  A fresh coat of paint.
Oh-- and we also got like, five little bushes in front-- see the ones out by the tree.  Nice. Little. Stay little.

And that's our little home! Home, sweet home!